Cam controlled shaper feed



Nov. 3, 1931. w. F. ZIMMERMANN CAM CONTROLLED SHAPER FEED Filed June 10, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 awuentoz WM 7% W @3913 QHWWMfi mm W Nov. 3, 1931. w. F. ZIMMERMANN CAM CONTROLLED SHAPER FEED Fiied June 10, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 33313 Slime/1 Navy-3, 1931.

w. F. ZIMMERMANN 1,830,309

CAM CONTROLLED SHAPER FEED Filed June 10, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet s fimllllllllln Patented Nov; 3, 931

nisnnnnnnr, or nswna c-fnnw annsry, A conronnrron or new JERSEY,

eATsNT oFriCE F WI LL IAM r. ZIMMERMANN, or MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR .ro GOULD &

-; Tonia CONTROLLED SHAPER FEED replicates filed an 10,

; f This invention fisj directed to step-feed mechanisms. for imaehine tools, such as shapers, and it seeks ina simple way to attain v a superior relationship between the cycles of 5 thereciprocating rain and the-cycles of the intermittent feed; improving uponthe nature and relativetiming of'the feed cycles. v 1 In such machines,the-length of stroke of the ram requires to be adjustable; according 10', to whetherthe work requires a long cut or a short out. So also, the feed must admit of adjustment to regulate the depth of cut taken by the tool during each cutting advance thereof." It is desirable that no feed shall 5 ever take'place"during the cutting advance I of the tool; otherwise the line of cut will depart from the actual path of the tool. The feeding movement should begin and end dur} ing thetime the tool is non-functional and th s conditionshould not bedi sturbed by any adjustments in the length of the strokes either of the tool oriof the feedwhich shifts the work. To achieve this result without involving mechanical complication is one of the goals of this invention. I

' t It is noteworthy,'likewise, that the return or non-fuhctional stroke of the tool is habituallyr made more-"rapidly than its advance. Also that itsslow'advance somewhat over 3 runs the work, and its quick return carries the tool to a starting point located somewhat away from the work; In other Words,the'

cycleof the tool is not uniform, and the point oftime consumed for each entirenon-uniform I cycle will likewise be of a longer or shorter a duration; depending upon t-he length ofIthe iamstroke and its selected rate of cutting 'determinedby the setting-of the speed change gears for the bullewheel. I

The starting and stopping instants ofthe feed fOrthe workshould lie-compatible with all of those selective conditions and shouldnot take place whilethe'tool'is exercising/its toolingoflice." i

To utilize the shorter-arc period of the rams' return for accomplishing the feedstroke, and for compensating for'the dilferenc eof time con'sumed between the fast-returnand the slowjadvance' of the ram, this 9 inventionproposes-a feeding camhaving a 1927. Serial No. 97,797.

properly synchronized movement; as much or as little of which may next be appropri ated (under the control of a'limiting cam) to afford the amount of feedbest adapted for the work in hand. This second or qualify-' desidera'um, a uique construction has been developed. The feedingis periodically accomplishedbythe feeding cam, and the restoration of the ratchet means is self-actuat in'g; thefeeding cam then operating to restrain the-rate, but not the extent, of its restoration. The latter is determined by the limiting cam which, at the station selected by the feed adjustment, prohibitsthe feeding mechanism from further following the feeding cam. A i

Other ob'ects and advantages will be in part indicated in the following description and in part rendered apparent therefrom in connection with the annexed'drawings.

, To enable others skilledinthe art so fully to apprehend the underlying features hereof that they may embody the'same inthe various ways contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred typical construction have been annexed as a part 'of this disclosure and, in such drawings, like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which fFigure 1' represents a side'elevationof ashaperrembodying this invention. Fig.2 is an enlarged side elevation of the feed mechanism leading from the side of the column to the table of the shaper. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showingcertainof the interior elements of the assembled feed mechanism,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through line A 4:-

of Fig. '2 and Fig. .5 is a vertical section through line 5-5 of Fig. 3; showing deta ls of the cams and elements related thereto;

Fig. 61s a vertical section through line-6'6 ofFig. 1 looking towards the right.

' Upon the bed or tcolumn 'A of the machine is arranged iaram B adapted to reciprocated with a slow advance and rapid return, .by means of any conventional mechanism .'such' as the'slotted link C actuated by a pin D Whichis drivenby a bull wheel E which," 'in turn, derives motion from a. shaft F through appropriate change gears G.' These elements, being conventional, are well known and require no detailed description.

The front face of- -the body .A carries a conventional table and crossrail (indicated "generally by H) and as suchfeatures of construction are likewise conventional and well known they will not be detailed.

The intermittent feed'for the table is de- 7 rived from a continuous rotary motion of a sleeve 1 which rotates with the bullwheel. Coaxially secured to'this sleeve (as through the plate 2) is a positively driven feeding ram 3; This cam'bea-rs a. fixed relationship to the bull wheeland its contour, as indicated by Fig. 5., and is so proportioned to the times and the rates of advance and retreat of the ram B (the: strokes of which .are ad'- justed by adjusting the position of the pin .D) that the advancements of the table will begin and end during nonfunctional periods f the tool.

Arranged topivot coaxially with the feed ing cam 3, is a limiting cam l which is keyed to an external handgrasp' 5 or otherwise-connected to some suitable means carrying a scale of graduations 6 which are 'ava1lable-for'1n-' dicating the manual setting of the limiting cam An'appropriate detent :7 intervenes between the hand grasp and a suitable casing 8 which will. be subsequently described.

This casing as shown by Fig. 5,has aguide way 9 directed substantially towardsthe axis of rotation of the feeding cam 3 and, arranged to reciprocate in said guide 9, is a plunger 10 havingalrounded exlremity 11 of suflicient Width to be operated upon by whichever portions of either cams 3 or 4: happen to be in suitable angular position for that purpose. 1 Were it not for the limiting cam 4, the feeding cam 3 would periodically advance the plunger 10 from the same rearmost position to the same f0ren1ost'pos1tion, and would permit an expansile spring 12 (restrained by thecap .13.) to cause the plungerlO tore'treat from .its foremost'to its'rearmost position,

i keeping it incontact with the receding por' tions of the feeding earn 3. This would yield notretre'at underthe impositive actionofthe spring 12 any furlher than after it has contacted with the stationary cam 4. Iii-other 7 words, its selected limit of rei-reat is that shown n full lines as against the position indicat'ed in dotted lines to which it could retreat were it not for. the obstruction offered by the cam at. The significance of this is that when the feeding earn 3 .now rotates until it contacts with the end of the plunger, 1t is able to-advance it only ihrough the distance between the .dottedilines wand a indicated by (5 Fig. 5. The dotted line (t represents an in variable station, andthe'dotted line 9' represen's a selecte d station determined by the adopted positionofthe stationary cam 4.

This means that the plunger, lO'will have shorter or. longer per odic strokes depending entirely upon cam i.

the position. of the limiting The. intermittent reciprocations of the plungerlO, which, as has'been seenare truly 535 synchronized with the ram, or convertedint'o an intermittent forward rotation by means of a suitable one-way transmitter represented byK; Thisconsists of a sub shaft 14 upon wl gear l7 meshing with corresponding teeth 18 on the plunger and carrying a pin 19 upon which rocks a pawl 20;,this pawl being aliich keyed a ratchet wheel'15fand upon 99 whichls'sleeved an oscillator 16 driven by a ways maintainedin inesh with the ratchet e5 teethon the wheel "byreason frhe' continuous pressure of a sprlng 'pressed 'detent 21. .Tlie advantage of this is that the pawl is always conditioned to be immediately responsive to any advance oft he plunger 10 180 and'no irregularity in the feed can possibly occur. To prohibit any tendency of the pawl 'to pull the ratchet wheel backwards by friction, a pair of stop pawls 22and 23 are always held spring pressed in engagement 365 with the ratchet wheel and prohibit any retrograde rotation thereof. 7

It is seen that the stubshaft 14 is'given an intermittent forward rotation and, as the foregoing mechanism is-all limited very excesare sively to the user at the side of the column A near the bull wheel, provision is made for conveying this motion to the table. A bevel gear 52 i imparts the'rotatinn oftheshaft let p 26 which telescopically receives the splined end portion of a shaft 27 which terminates in a con-ed head 28 at its forward end. A bevel gear 29 loosely encircling the shaft 27 base counter-coned socketwhich isspring pressed against the conev 28 by a spring 30. This causes the bevel gear 29 to rotate as unit with the shaft 27 except in the event of exceptional strains during which'slippage may take place. The bevel gear .29 is simultaneously 1- i in mesh with reversing bevel gears 31 and 32 which, by means of theiusual clutch sleeve 33 maybe used to drive'the sc "cw shaft3l which intermittently feeds the table 4. To protect the runninggshafts a casing 35 is p'ivoted I to another bevel gear 25 at iheendofsleeve mil.

' coaxially about the shaft '34 and telescopes with a casing 36 which likewise piv-ots coaxially wish the shaft 14; this arrangement accommodating the rise and fall of the cross; rail onthe front ofthe machine.

lVithout further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention 1 that others. can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various utilizations by retaining one or more of the features.

that, from the standpoint of the prior art,

* fairly cons itute essential characteristics of either the genericor specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should be, and are intendedto be, comprehendedwitlun the meaning and range of equivalency of the following clanns.

Having thus revealed this invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure the'following combinations and elements, or equivalents thereof, by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A feed mechanismfor machine tools A embodying a work-holder,a tool-holder and an, adjustable limiter arranged coaxially gentially thereto; a periodically acting'energizer for positively impelling said actuator to drive said transmitter positively and with said energizerfor controlling the extent of restoration of said actuator, said energizer and limiter both beingadaptedto act upon a common portion of saidactuator.

. 2. A shaper combining a rain; an adjustable-stroke reciprocator, therefor; a table;

table feed1ng transmisslon a one-way mo- .tion transmitter; a-positively impelled actuator therefor; a cam synchronized with said reciprocator and operative at each cycle thereof fully to advance said actuator to. drive said transmitter positively; and an adjustable limiter mounted coaxially with saidcam and engaging'the portion ofsa-id actuator which also engages said cam for determining the extent of impositive movement of said actuator.

3.: A shaper combining a'ram; an adjustable-stroke reciprocator therefor; a table; a table-feeding transmission; a one-way 'motion transmitter; a positively impelled actuator therefor; arota-rycam synchronized f with said reciprocator and operative radiallyat each cycle thereof fully to advance said actuator to drive said transmitter positively; and anormally stationary limiter a dj ustably mounted coaxial with said cam and adjacent thereto and adaptedto engage the portion of said actuator engaged by saidcam for ad justing the extent of impositive retreat of said actuator,

i '4. A shaper combining a ram; Ian adjustable-stroke recip-rocator therefor; a table; a

table-feedingi transmission; a: one-way motion transmitter ;.-a self-retreating I actuator therefor havinga cam-engaging portion; a cam synchronized with said reciprocator and operative 'against'said portion at each cycle thereof fully. to Cook said actuator; and a manually rotatable cam mounted coaxial with. the first named .cam and adjustable relative thereto and engagingsaid portion of said actuator fordetermining the extentof reactive movement of said actuator.

5. A shaper combining a ram; a shaft ro-. tating: in synchronism therewith; a' rotary cam rotating with said shaft;a normally stationarycam" pivoted co-axially with said shaft adjacent said rotary cam and adapted to be turned manually into any one ofa series of selective positions; a spring; a plunger reciprocated to and fro periodically by said rotary cam against and with said spring, 7 but having the extent of movement with said spring limited by said normally stationary cam, said plunger having a single end engaging both of said cams; a table; and

means for intermittently feeding said table by motion derived from said plunger;

6. A shaper combining a ram; a recipro-- cator therefor; a table; a table-feeding transmission; a one-way transmitter for intermittently driving said transmission; a plunger adapted to advance to impart motion to saidtransmitter; a spring for accomplish- 4 ing each retreatof said plunger; a normally stationarymember adapted manually to be shifted into different oositions to determine the extent of retreat 0 said plunger; and an element coaxial with said member and adj acent thereto periodically moving to and fro positively in strokes of invariable lengths and adapted to engage said plunger at the selective station determined by the position of said member and thereupon advance it always to the same advance station, said ele ment serving also to regulate the rate of the impositiveretreat of the plunger from said advance station to said selective station.

7. A shaper combining a ram; a shaft rotating in synchronism therewith; a rotary cam rotating with said, shaft; a normally stationary cam pivoted co-axially with said spring; a. plunger having a portion engaging Y I both of said cams reciprocated to and fro' periodically by said rotary cam against and i with said spring, but having the extent of movement with said spring limited by said normally stationary cam; a table; and a pawl and ratchet-wheel for intermittently feeding said table by motion derived from said plunger.

. 8. Ashapercombiningareciprocating ram; a shaft rotating in synchronlsm therewith; a rotary cam rotatin 1n invariable synchronism with said sha t; a normally stationary adaptediq be turned manually into anyone of a serie'srof selective positions; a sprlng';

' an'eleinentlongitudlnallysh'fted to an diro periodically by said rotary cam-against and -Wifili' said spring, but havingthe extent ofmovement with: said spring limited by said normally statienarycam, said element bay- 1 ing a portion engaging both of said cams; a

' In- Witness whereof I have hereunto sub- ZIMMERMANK i i I scribed my'name.

table; and means' for intermifitently-feeding said table'by motion derived from'isaid element. i

Y .VVILLIAMR 

